Diagnosis and treatment of intracranial cavernous hemangioma: a report of 86 cases

OBJECTIVE To summarize and analyze the clinical manifestations features of imaging diagnosis, and therapeutic efficacy of surgical treatment for intracranial cavernous hemangioma (CH).METHODS Data from 86 cases with intracranial CH from the Department of Neurosurgery of Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin,China, during a period from 2000 to 2007, were retrospectively analyzed, and pertinent literature cited.RESULTS Epilepsy, headache, dizziness, sensory disability and limb-kinetic apraxia were the most commonly seen clinical manifestations of the intracranial CH cases. MRI was one of the preferred ways to diagnose CH. All 86 patients were treated with microsurgery, among which neuronavigator-guided surgery .was conducted in 16, a second surgical procedure was performed in 3 due to a postoperative intracranial hematoma, and death occurred in 1. All the other 85 patients had a good prognosis.CONCLUSION MRI was the most sensitive diagnostic means for intracranial CH. Microsurgery was the main method to treat intracranial CH.